Baxter International Inc vs UnitedHealth Group Inc — how do they compare? Baxter International Inc trades at $21.94 (market cap $11.26B), while UnitedHealth Group Inc trades at $417.26 (market cap $389.68B). The key difference: UnitedHealth Group Inc is far larger — about 34.6× Baxter International Inc's market cap, and UnitedHealth Group Inc pays the higher dividend (2.16%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BAX | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $11.26B | $389.68B |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $29.22 | $431.68 |
52-Week Low | $15.80 | $237.77 |
Enterprise Value | $18.93B | $436.36B |
Dividend Yield | 0.92% | 2.16% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Baxter International (BAX) trades at $22.57, down 0.22% on the day, with mixed technical signals showing a bullish moving average trend but neutral oscillators. The company reported Q1 2026 earnings beat with $0.36 EPS versus $0.31 expected, though net income margin remains negative at -9.7%. Recent news highlights upcoming Q2 earnings call and sustainability initiatives, while analyst consensus sits at $22.67 price target with 42% buy ratings.
BAX faces fundamental challenges with negative profitability metrics and volatile cash flow, but valuation appears reasonable with P/S of 1.02. The stock offers potential upside to analyst targets if operational improvements materialize, though investors must weigh high debt levels and inconsistent earnings performance against turnaround prospects in the medical technology sector.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) trades at $429.09, up 1.05% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook and strong analyst consensus. The stock shows consistent earnings beats, with Q1 2026 EPS of $7.23 exceeding expectations, and a dividend of $2.32 payable in June 2026. Revenue growth remains robust, reaching $447.57B in 2025, though net margins have compressed to 2.68%.
Outlook is positive due to aging demographics and tech innovation in healthcare, but risks include regulatory scrutiny and margin pressure. Wall Street's average price target of $438.33 suggests modest upside, supported by 82.69% buy ratings. Investors should weigh solid cash flow generation against legal challenges and rising debt levels.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Baxter offers a variety of medical instruments and supplies to caregivers. It enhanced its portfolio of hospital-focused offerings by acquiring Hillrom in late 2021. Legacy Baxter offers tools to help patients with acute and chronic kidney failure. It also sells a variety of injectable therapies for use in care settings, such as IV pumps, and administrative sets.
Read more on BAX →UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers, providing medical benefits to 50 million members globally, including 5 million outside the U.S. at the end of 2021. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in managed care. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's continued investments in its Optum franchises have created a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from medical and pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Read more on UNH →